Kung Pow! Enter the Fist

(source: tmdb.org)

Today’s debate about AI and their potentially harmful effects on the future of film industry are just the reflection about similar debates from past few decades that were created by development of CGI. Nearly three decades ago Robert Zemeckis has shown potential of new technologies by resurrecting dead US presidents in Forrest Gump and soon afterwards Lucas was digitally retconning his own Star Wars universe. For some, it was a sign that the old films will get new life, unburdened by imperfections of primitive technologies that might deter new generations of viewers, spoiled by modern special effects. But, as usual, new technology and new challenges, with speculations that new generations, for example, could know Marilyn Monroe as digital porn star instead of genuine Hollywood icon while old classics be digitally mutilated in order to adhere new standards of “political correctness”. But the worst consequences could be the end of the last traces of creativity in Hollywood. Why make new films when you can simply alter the old ones? First glimpse into such dystopian future was provided by Kung Pow: Enter the Fist, 2002 action comedy written by Steve Oedekerk, a film that holds distinction of being simply slightly re-edited and digitally altered version of 1976 Hong Kong martial arts film Tiger & Crane Fists.

The protagonist, played by Oedekerk, is the Chosen One, martial arts master who has grown up among rodents after his parents had been killed by evil Master Pain (played by Fei Lung). In the subsequent years Master Pain has became the strongest and the most powerful of all martial arts masters and imposed the reign of terror in part of China where the Chosen One is arriving to. The Chosen One is going to gather followers that would help him defeat Master Pain and reveal the diabolical agenda behind him.

The entire concept of Kung Pow is Oedekerk digitally inserting himself into protagonist of original film, rearranging order of few scenes, adding new dialogue or some new material. At first it looks somewhat charming and there are even couple genuinely funny moments. But those begin to dry out quickly, dialogue becomes dumber and every scene, even the one is supposed to be funny, becomes insufferably long. If the film is shown in theatres, it would produce silence similar to Schindler’s List (or Serving Sara). While someone’s taste shouldn’t be matter of debate, in this particular case, Kung Pow show Oedekerk’s tendency to adopt toilet humour standards of Farrelly Brothers and some of the jokes, apparently aimed at commenting the deterioration of Franco-American relations at the eve of Iraq invasion, makes this film terribly dated. Although film ends only after 80 minutes, the viewers would have impression that their ordeal was much longer. Kung Pow! had modest box office success and Oedekerk has entertained idea of sequels or the films that would give similar treatment spaghetti westerns and sword-and-sandals films, but, thankfully, such films were never made.

RATING: 2/10 (-)

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